Member, Palliative Care Guideline Committee

Have you experienced or supported a loved one through the palliative journey? The BC Centre for Palliative Care is looking for the patient perspective as they create a reference tool about the emotional, social and spiritual aspects of serious illness that will be used by health professionals to understand how to best care for palliative patients and their loved ones.

Open to: Patient partners from across the province

Lead Organization or Department

BC Centre for Palliative Care

Aim

The goal of this working group is to create evidence-based provincial guidelines for health professionals in order to support consistent care. These particular guidelines will focus on social, emotional and the spiritual  care and palliative sedation. We need the patient and family perspective to ensure we are asking the right questions and offering support that is helpful. The patient partner will be asked to contribute to decisions about what topics to include, provide input into the content and review the draft guidelines.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of collaborate on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will work together with you to formulate solutions and incorporate your advice and recommendations into the decisions to the maximum extent possible.

Eligibility

• Family caregiver of someone who has died or currently has a serious illness
• Have personal experience with serious illness
• Have a neutral position on Medical Assistance in Dying and able to discuss it objectively
• Prefer not a health care professional past or present
• Must be a resident of BC

Logistics

Vacancies: 5 Date, Time, Location: 1-3 teleconference meetings that will begin in late October and end in March, each lasting 30 minutes - one-hour long. Patient partners can participate at any time in this six month time frame and we can be adaptable to your schedule and needs. The format is for documents to be emailed before the committee meeting and then reviewed and discussed during the teleconference calls. Commitment: One week to six months. It is a flexible commitment depending on your availability and your desired level of involvement.

Reimbursement

No expenses will in incurred.

Background

The BC Centre for Palliative Care provides leadership for best practices, research and education in Advance Care Planning and Serious Illness Conversations, Integration of a Palliative Approach to Care, and building Compassionate Communities. Established in 2013, the Centre serves as a catalyst to stimulate conversations and support efforts that foster access and excellence in palliative and end-of-life care. The Centre establishes provincial networks and community partnerships by drawing together patients, families, caregivers, clinicians, health administrators, policy makers, researchers and community organizations, among others, to:

• Promote Advance Care Planning, Serious Illness and Goals of Care Conversations as key enablers of person-centred care.
• Increase access to quality education, practice support, and resourcesfor health-care providers to integrate a palliative approach to care.
• Engage citizens and mobilize partnerships across BC to create Compassionate Communities that provide practical support, compassion and care to patients and their families.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Kathryn Proudfoot
Engagement Leader, Patient & Public Engagement | Provincial
604.668.8246
kproudfoot@bcpsqc.ca